Ryan's Bad Day
by ChampagneWishes
Summary: Takes place after "The Ex-Factor"- Ryan's impromptu dip in the ocean leaves him with a bad cold. The Cohen adults are feuding and too busy to take much notice, but Marissa and Lindsay are all two happy to play nurse as they compete for Ryan's attention.
1. Chapter 1

Takes place after "The Ex-Factor"- Ryan's impromptu dip in the ocean leaves him with a bad cold. The Cohen adults are feuding and too busy to take much notice, but Marissa and Lindsay are all two happy to play nurse as they compete for Ryan's attention and affection.

Thinks lots and lots of sick!Ryan and humerous girl- drama

* * *

Dinner with the Cohen's was considerably less pleasant tonight than usual, Ryan decided. "Well, of course your father prefers Julie's idea- it's a money maker. It's not about giving back to the community-" Ryan sneezed and interrupted Sandy's rant. "Bless you Ryan. And she's his wife." He went on, as if nothing had happened. Ryan sneezed again.

"Bless you," Kirsten said, "Well Sandy, she is his wife, so he's going to support. It's the same as my supporting you."

"So you're saying that you're just supporting me because I'm your husband."

"ACHOO!"

"Bless you Ryan." They said in unison.

"Thanks..." Ryan sniffed. He'd been sneezing all day. There was also a vague hint of a headache lurking near his temples. He hoped he wasn't getting sick. Maybe he should mention something to Kirsten...

"No Sandy, I'm not saying that." Kirsten was still on the attack, "What I'm saying is that you both make very valid points." Okay, she probably didn't want to hear about it right now, she seemed stressed out enough already.

"I thought your father wanted to change his image not just prove that he's a rich snob. And that magazine! Do you really want to look at a different photo of Julie's face every month? I think this is about her changing her image, and has nothing to do with the Newport Group."

"Can I be excused?" Ryan asked quietly. He felt tired and was not particularly hungry. The italian food in front of him seemed less appealing than usual. The headache seemed closer to emerging.

"Sure," Kirsten said, barely glancing at him as she stared at Sandy.

"Yeah, me too." Seth jumped up. They put their plates in the sink and then Ryan went out to the pool house where he collapsed face down on the bed. Seth followed him.

"Dude, good call." He slumped onto a chair.

"Thanks..." Ryan rolled over and sat up. He sneezed again. Their was an odd tickle at the back of his throat. He tried to clear it, and was surprised when nothing seemed to dislodge. "ACHOO!"

"Bless you- Dude are you okay?" Seth looked at him. Ryan did look a little _off_.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine." He assured Seth, and then sneezed again.

"Bless you- Hey man, do you think I call Alex?" Seth had already lost interests in Ryan's potentially ill- health, "I mean... I know I said I'd give her space to work out her issues with Jodie and everything, but I want her to know that I'm like totally cool with it.. But like, am I supposed to be jealous or something? Like, if it was a guy would I just like walk away and say "hey that's cool, do what you gotta do, but like because it's a girl somehow that's like totally okay?"

"You said you'd give her space..." Ryan reminded him. "Phone call. HACHOO! Not space."

"Belss you. Do you have allergies or something?"

"Maybe," Ryan rubbed his nose. "Whad were were saying about space?" He didn't want to talk about his symptoms.

"Well, like maybe she wants space or like, maybe she doesn't know I'm giving her space, and she could think that I'm mad at her. Or that I'm sulking or something, she should know that I'm not..."

Ryan suppressed the urge to sigh, and sat up all the way. He was rewarded with several throbs of pain from inside his skull. He decided that if he was going to listen to the Seth-babble, he was going to need an Advil or two or four. "I thought you told her it was space." He got up and walked toward the bathroom. Seth was undeterred by Ryan's lack of interest as Ryan headed for the bathroom and took several Advil. Ryan heard his voice but couldn't make out the individual works. He only had to throw the occasional "mhmm" or "huh" for Seth to feel adequately heard.

"I should get some work done," Ryan came back into the room and rolled his eyes towards the physics textbook that sat open next to Seth on his desk.

"Oh yeah, gotta keep up those grades to impress the girl." Seth winked at him.

"Uh... Something like that." Actually, what he really wanted was some quiet time to let his headache recede.

"Right, well, I know when I'm not wanted." He got to his feet. Ryan would have protested and made more excuses but he sneezed instead.

"Bless you,"

"Thanks," Ryan sniffed. After a few more moments of self-debate Seth made his exit and Ryan let his eyes drop onto his homework. The black numbers and words seemed fuzzier than usual, and Ryan found the headache getting worked and he massaged his temples and sniffed. Then sneezed again.

**********************************************

"Ryan?" Kirsten shook Ryan's shoulder gently. She had noticed that the light was on in the pool house and had come down to tell Ryan to get some sleep and found him asleep, on his desk. His head resting on his arms like a pillow. Ryan slowly sat up and looked up at her.

"Kirsten?"

"I think your bed might be more comfortable," She smiled gently at him.

"Yeah," He rolled his shoulders. They felt stiff after several hours asleep in an uncomfortable position. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight," Kirsten rubbed his shoulder gently. "You should get some sleep."

"Midnight?" He looked down at his homework panicked. He still had three problems left. "Yeah, I will. ACHOO! Just gotta..." He gestured at the textbook. "I fell asleep before I could finish."

"Alright... But don't stay up too much later. Okay?" She paused and looked at him for a moment, "Are you feeling okay?" He had been sneezing rather excessively.

"Yeah," Ryan nodded. He didn't bother arguing, but there was no way he was going to bed before this problem set was done. Homework counted for almost forty percent of their grade. He bent his head to single that the conversation was over, and began to write out the equation. Kirsten hovered a moment, then slipped out.

****************************************

At 2am Ryan finally pushed the books away from him and sat up, coughing and wincing as he realized how sore his throat was. His condition had been deteriorating rapidly for the last two hours as he fought his body to keep it awake and pushed through the last few physics problems. Each problem seemed to take twice as long as it should have, as he coughed and sneezed his way through. The sneezes that had been coming as individual sneezes were now coming in groups of two or three. His head felt like it had swollen to twice it's usual side and everything seemed just a little fuzzy. He groaned tiredly and then coughed as he stood up. He was acutely aware of the aches that eminated from his shoulders down his back. The room spun slightly as he propelled himself towards the bed and then practically fell into it. He coughed a few more times, wincing as the coughs made their way up his sore throat, and pulled the blankets over himself.

It seemed as if his eyes had barely closed before the alarm clock rudely blasted him away. He barely felt like he had slept. Ryan reached out a tired arm and managed to the alarm off. He swallowed. His throat was sore and felt oddly coated and thick, and the ache in his shoulders from the night before had increased. He sniffed tentatively and realized his nose was completely stuffed up, he could barely breathe out of it. He relucatantly climbed out of his warm bed amd stumbled towards the shower, and tried to ignore the headache that pounded against his temples. He turned the hot water on and hoped the steam would clear his sinuses and the heat would soothe the aches.

Still, as he stood underneath the shower's warm jets his body felt enveloped by exhaustion. The idea of the long day stretched ahead of him filled him with a vague sense of dread.

When he finally dragged himself to the kitchen, Kirsten had already left for the day, leaving just Sandy to take the boys to school. "Hey Ryan," Sandy said, plunking a mug of coffee down in front of him. "Running a little behind today?"

"Yeah..." Ryan sniffed and nodded, and began to drink the coffee.

"Alright, well, we're leaving in five, okay?" He patted Ryan on the back and then left the room. Ryan sighed and finished his coffee, then he grabbed some tissues and stuff them in his pockets.

********************************************

"Wow, Ryan, you look terrible." Lindsay said as her lab partner/boyfriend slid in next to her. Ryan looked pale and slightly shakey. His eyes and nose were red.

"Thanks..." He sneezed, "Jus' whad a guy wands do hear."

"Bless you! I just meant..."

"Yeah," He sniffed, "I doh," He coughed weakly and unproductively.

"Are you feeling okay?"

Ryan shook his head, "Dot really." He coughed a few more times. Marissa had asked him the same question in English. He had told her that he felt fine. Of course, if he was to be honest, he could feel himself getting worse and worse by the second. With every sneeze, his nose seemed just a little more stuffed. Every cough made his throat hurt just a little more and his chest felt a little tighter. Every second that went by seemed to make the headache pound just a little harder and then ache in his shoulders sink just a little bit deeper. He had to admit it now. He was sick. And miserable. It was taking every ounce of strength he had ot not just put his head down on his desk and go to sleep. With a moan, he lost the battle. His head went down on the cool desk, his arms wrapped around it. Then he had to turn his head and muffled his coughs with his arm.

Lindsay tentatively reached out and touched his back, "Do you want me to give you a ride home at lunch?" She offered gently.

"Wood you?" He sat up and felt an instant sense of relief, even as his head pounded with the sudden movement. Maybe this was why he had finally dropped his guard in front of Lindsay. She had a plan. A solution.

"Yeah, sure," She smiled at him brightly. As far as she was concerned, time spent with Ryan was time well spent. And the lisp that had come with the stuffed up nose really was kind of adorable. He sneezed twice. "Bless you!"

"Sorry..." He said pitifully, looking at her with tired blue eyes, and Lindsay wished they weren't in a classroom so she could wrap him in her arms and hug him and kiss it all better. His blue eyes were blood shot and had bags under them. Lindsay was actually a little surprised that Kirsten-the-super-mom had even let him out of the house this morning. 'Can you-" Another sneeze and then a sniffle, "Ched by hobework? I don't dink I- ACHOO! did dat well on id." He coughed a few times.

"Do you want me just to hand it in for you? Maybe you should go see the school nurse?"

Ryan shook his head, "I'b fine... I'll live." He coughed again and his shoulders heaved slightly. "Just a colb..." He closed his eyes and rubbed his fingers in a circular motion at his temples. His hands seemed to be the only thinking keeping his head from dropping back to the desk.

*************************************************

"I really thought-" Ryan sneezed, "Dat..." He sneezed again, "was neber gonna end. ACHOO!" He stood up slowly as their class ended. The teacher had glared at Ryan throughout most of it, as he struggled to take notes in between his coughing and sneezing. "Is id really hot in here?" He rubbed his sleeve against his forehead which had broken out in a light sheen of sweat. Lindsay slowly shook her head at him and added "fever" to Ryan's list of symptoms.

"Let's get you home..." She suggested. Ryan nodded. As they walk out to the car, Ryan's so overcome with a coughing and sneezing fit, that Lindsay has to put her arm around his waist to guide him. The other student's backed away from them, as Ryan sneezed and coughed into a handful of tissues.

The ride home wasn't much better. In between bouts of sneezing and coughing, Ryan rested his hot forehead against the cool window, his eyes were almost closed.

"Hey we're home," Lindsay shook him gently awake. Ryan opened his eyes and then stumbled out of the car.

"Danks... For the ribe..." Ryan said, swaying a little on his feet. In the sunlight, Lindsay could see even more clearly how pale his complexion was.

"No problem- do you need?"

"Nobe- it's bedder if you ged oudda here. Dob't wand you to ged sick." He sniffed and tried to clear his throat, "Thanks again... Bye" He turned around and weaved his way into the house and then out to the pool house where he collapsed onto his bed, and curled into a ball as a wave of coughing ripped through him. He just wanted to sleep, but his body seemed to have other ideas.

He got up again and managed to make it the bathroom where he swallowed two more Advils. There was probably a decongestant or a cough suppresant in the house, but Ryan was too tired. He knew he'd never make it there and back. So he setteled for at least making the headache go away, and he was so exhausted that sleep soon pulled him under.


	2. Chapter 2

It was dark out by the time Ryan woke up from his stupor. Why had nobody come out to wake him up for dinner or come out to check on him. He sniffed. Ugh. He needed a decongestant. He padded his way into the house, trying thickly to swallow whatever horribleness had coated his throat.

"Hey man," Seth called out to him cheerfully from in front of the TV. He was eating cold pad thai out of the take out container on the couch. That could only mean one thing.

"Kirden and Sandy?" Ryan asked hoarsely.

"They had a thing tonight. Are you feeling any better? Lindsay said she took you home from school early."

Ryan shook his head, "Doh..."

"You sound like crap... Or are doing the world's worst Homer Simpson impression." Ryan glared at him. Just then his cell phone rang and startled it. Ryan pulled it out of his pocket.

"H-" He cleared his throat, "Hello?"

"Ryan? Hey it's Marissa."

"Hey Marissa..." He walked over to the kitchen table and leaning on it, slumped into a chair.

"I saw Seth, he said you went home early. I was just calling to see how you were feeling."

"M'fine..." Ryan muttered. He let his head drop to the table, his hot forehead rested on his arm.

"You don't sound too good..."

"Coub be bedder... Coub be worse." He muttered.

"Why don't I bring you some soup?"

"Soup?" He brightened at the thought. "Yeah, dat be greab..."

Marissa laughed a little at his lisp, "Okay, I'll be right over."

"Danks..." He hung up. "Marissa's bringing be soup." He smiled at Seth.

"Only you could get action when you're sick..." He muttered.

Ryan sneezed explosively, and then said, "I'd dot dat sid."

"Could have fooled me. If mom was here she'd have chained you into bed by now." Seth winced, "Why did I just talk about my mom, chains and the bed in one sentence? Now I'm gonna have nightmares." Ryan chuckled slightly. The doorbell rang. Ryan shot a helpless glance at Seth who sighed and went to answer the door. He reentered the kitchen with Lindsay trailing behind him. "Look who's hear and she brought you soup!" Seth said, grinning evily. This was like revenge for all the teasing he had endured from Ryan over the Summer/Anna thing.

"Feeling any better?" Lindsay asked, putting the tupperware container filled with soup down in front of Ryan. She pulled off the top. It was still hot.

"Uhb, a libble." Ryan said, coughing.

"Have you taken anything?"

"A nab?" He rubbed his nose.

"No silly, I meant like cough medicine or something."

"Oh, nobe, nod yed."

"Can you even understand him?" Seth asked. Ryan tried to glare at him, but a fit of sneezing stopped him.

"Ughbb..." Ryan rubbed at his itchy nose and face.

"Okay- I don't think that was even a word."

"I'b gonna seebe on you." Ryan threatened. Ignoring the brothers, Lindsay had started hunting through the kitchen cabinets looking for supplies. The soup was already in front of Ryan. Ryan looked down at it. Ugh, he wasn't even that hungry. And Marissa was bringing soup too. Uh- oh. The girls were gonna be here together. His sluggish mind finally put the pieces together. "Nob goob..." He muttered. He realized too late that he had said it out loud.

"What?" Lindsay started- had Ryan just insulted her soup? It was homemade! She had been cooking for hours! When she could have/should have been doing her physics homework.

"Soub's really good..." Ryan said, dipping a spoon into into it and taking a bite.

"Oh good," Lindsay's frown relaxed into a broad smile. Seth smirked at him. "Here." She dropped a bottle of cough syrup on the table and box of decongestants.

"Danks..." Ryan said, taking another sip of the soup. It was good. "So uhb, Marissa called be."

"Uh huh..." Lindsay looked at him trying to keep her face blank. Where was he going with this?

"She wanded to bring me soub..." He looked down, "I'b gonna call her." He said, picking up the phone. He started to cough hoarsely as the voice mail picked up, and couldn't stop for a moment. He hung up without leaving a message. Lindsay appeared by his side almost miraculously and handed him a glass of water. He drank it, and the coughing subsided. Then Lindsay set about administering his meds. She spoon fed him his cough syrup, and then pulled out two tablets for him to take. She felt his forehead. Marissa was forgotten for the moment.

Until the door bell rang.

"Uhg... Neber called Maribba..." Ryan said, pushing back his chair and stumbling to his feet. He walked over to the door, trailed by Seth. Lindsay hung back.

"Hey Ryan," Marissa smiled brightly when she saw Ryan, but her smiled faded when she saw how terrible he looked. His face was pale, except for his red nose, and his eyes were bloodshot. His bangs were clinging to his forehead with sweat, and it didn't look like he'd be able to remain upright much longer.

"Hey Marissa..." He said tiredly, and then turned away to cough.

"Ryan... You said you were sick- I didn't realize..."

Ryan waved a hand at her, "S'nod so bad."

"You look pretty..." She trailed off as she noticed that Lindsay had appeared behind Ryan. "Uhmm.. Sick."

"I doh, maybe you shouldn't come in..." Ryan said, "Dob't wanna ged you sick." Lindsay struggled to keep her face placid. What? And Ryan wasn't worried about her getting sick? Or was he just trying to keep the two of them apart.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Marissa smiled and glided inside, "Come on, you should sit down before you fall down." She wrapped her hands around Ryan's arm and guided him inside. Ryan glanced helplessly at Lindsay, but allowed himself to be led. Lindsay clenched her jaw as she was forced to follow.

Marissa sat Ryan down on the couch, fluffed a pillow behind him and then pulled a blanket over him. "Hey Lindsay, do you mind getting me the thermometer?"

Lindsay nodded curtly and hurried away, but walked into the kitchen mumbling to herself about being demoted to nurse's assistant. She came back and thrust the thermometer aggressively at Marissa. "Thanks," Marissa said, and smiled as she pretended not to notice Lindsay's attitude. "Open up Ryan."

"D'anks," Ryan said, but was interrupted as Marissa put the thermometer in his mouth.

"I'm going to go get you a class of water!" Lindsay announced, trying to sound or look useful, as she walked away she muttered. "Why didn't I think to take his temperature?" She muttered to herself. "I could have done it... I had him here..."

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Marissa turned around looked at Lindsay inquisitively. Lindsay noticed she had her perfectly manicured nails curled protectively around Ryan's wrist. Her thumb was stroking the back of his hand as it lay across his stomach. His head was turned away, and then he started to cough. His shoulder's heaving. The thermometer dropped.

"Here! Let me get it!" Lindsay saw her chance and lunged forward, half-forgetting she was holding the glass of water. She remembered just in time, and pulled up short, but not in enough time to stop the glass of water from spilling out- onto Ryan.

"It's okay... I got it..." He said looking up tiredly, he held it up and then looked down at the puddle of water that had landed on his chest.

"S-Sorry..." She said, she felt her cheeks burning. Marissa didn't say anything as Lindsay hurried off to get paper towels. She passed Seth who stood by just smirking. She felt even more annoyed when she came back and Marissa took the paper towers from her, thanked her, and then set about cleaning Ryan up.

"I think you need a new shirt," Marissa said, with a wink.

"Uhb.. Maybe..." Ryan nodded.

"Lindsay? Do you mind?" Marissa turned around and smiled sweetly at her.

"Uhmm... No, of course not." Lindsay said, she felt trapped. Of course she had to get Ryan a new shirt. It was her fault his current one was wet! But she really didn't want to leave Ryan alone with super-femme. With a sigh she turned around and went to get him a new shirt from the pool house.

When she came back, Ryan was shirtless, and the thermometer was back in his mouth. Marissa's hands were gently brushing back his hair, and his were closed.

"Here-!" Lindsay thrust the shirt into Marissa's face, and with a slightly guily look, Marissa snatched her hand back and took the shirt.

The thermometer beeped and Ryan's eyes slowly opened, with a sigh, he took it out and look at it.

"Here, let me," Lindsay moved closer to Ryan, and then sat down on the couch next to him. She pratically snatched the thermometer out of his hand. "102.3... Oh Ryan."

He shrugged, "Coulb be worse..."

"Here's your shirt Ryan!" Marissa, said, offering it to him, her arm pressed against Lindsay's forcing her off her slim sliver of couch. She had to stand up as a sniffling Ryan sat up, pulled the shirt over his head and then lay back down.

"Are you warm enough?" Lindsay asked, "I could get your sweatshirt."

"Are you hungry? I brought you some soup." Marissa offered.

"Are you comfy? Do you need another pillow?"

"Do you have headache? Do you need any Tylenol?"

Ryan tiredly shook his head and opened his eyes as the two girls hovered over him, "I'b fine..." He said hoarsely, as he looked up into their anxious faces. He couldn't help smiling a little to himself. Later him and Seth would laugh about this. As if Seth read his mind, he suddenly strode foward.

"You know what? I think he needs some orange juice. And a comic book. Also another blanket just in case." Seth took control. Ryan stifled laughter as both girls jumped up to do Seth's bidding.

Seth grinned broadly at Ryan and sat down on the chair near his makeshift sick- bed that Marissa had vacated. "Dude, do you know what you have here?" He asked.

"The cold fromb hell?" Ryan said.

"No. What you have here is a golden opportunity. Two women- both of them hell- bent on out doing the other as they compete for your affections. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. How many more times are you gonna be laid up like this with two hot girls trying out- care one another. The answer. Probably never."

"And here I wanded wad sleep..." Ryan said tiredly.

"Oh no my friend, sleep comes later. First, you have to milk this for all its worth!"

"Jubs wand sleep..." Ryan moaned.

"Sleep later. Take full advantage now."

Seth would just pester him until he relented anyway. "Fine..." Ryan agreed, and opened his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

"Here Ryan, I brought you a sweatshirt and a comic book!" Lindsay thrust her findings foward.

"I brought you an orange juice and an extra blanket!" As if to prove her point, Marissa brushed passed Lindsay and draped the blanket over Ryan's legs and feet and handed the orange juice to him.

"Danks," Ryan said, smiling weakly. Even though he felt like it was about a thousand degrees in the room, he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings and he put the sweatshirt on and drank the orange juice. The comic book he handed to Seth, who settled on an armchair with it. Marissa and Lindsay both hovered, as if awaiting their next order.

"Can I get you anything else Ryan?" Lindsay asked.

"Can I?" Marissa echoed.

"Uhmm... I could use a box of tissues..." Ryan said, blowing his nose on the last tissue he had available.

"I know just where to find one!" Lindsay said running off.

When she was gone Marissa sat down on the bed next to him, and put her hand on his forehead, "You're burning up! Here let's take off some of the layers!" She stripped him on his sweatshirt and pulled the blanket off his feet. "Is that better?"

"Here Ryan, tissues!" Lindsay announced coming up behind him, "And I brought you another glass of orange juice!"

"Are you hungry Ryan? I brought soup?"

"I'b nod really hungry...." Ryan said.

"Well, you should eat something- I know! I'll make you toast!" Marissa announced happily and hurried off to make him toast.

Ryan sneezed and coughed, "Oh, poor Ryan," Lindsay put her hand on his forehead. He shivered slightly under the cool touch. "Are you cold?"

"Uhb, I guess a libble-" She pulled the blanket up over his feet. "We should get that fever down- I'll be right back."

When she was gone, Ryan turned to Seth, "U'be creabed a mondster." He coughed.

"Just sit back relax and ACHOO! enjoy the ride..." He wiped his nose. "Uh oh, looks like I'm going to be joining you in sick bay! Hey girls! Can one of you bring us the vitamin C? And more chicken soup! You have two patients now!"

"Way to cub in on my sib action..." Ryan said, and he blew his nose. "Welcub to hell." He lay back on the pillows.

"Come on, it's just a cold, how bad can it be?"

"Jubs wait... ACHOO!" Ryan sneezed again, and moaned. The headache was back and at all full force.

"Here you go Ryan," Lindsay said, and she gently laid a cool damp wash cloth against his forehead.

"That feels good, thanks."

"Here Ryan, you're toast..."

"I'll take that!" Lindsay, who was feeling in control at the moment, turned to take the toast from Marissa, and accidentally bumped into the tray and sent the toast flying, and crumbs onto the floor. "Oops! Sorry!"

Marissa tried to smile, "At least it wasn't soup..." She survery her ruined special cinamon and sugar toast.

"Sorry- Oh right the soup! It's been on the burner this whole time!" She raced off into the kitchen and turned off the stove, where she had been keeping her soup warm and it had now boiled over onto the stove. She would have cleaned it up, except there was a sudden yelp from the living room. She raced back over.

Her wash-cloth basin water had been completely overturned. Aparently, Marissa hadn't seen it and stumbled into it, knocking over onto the floor. Ryan had already scrambled off the couch and was no on his hands and knees with Marissa trying to sop it up before it damaged the carpet. Seth just watched with a bemused expression on his face.

Lindsay also got down on the floor and helped. Finally with most of the water dried up, and several paper towels still over the spot to soak up any remaining remnants, Ryan got up and flopped back onto the couch with an exhausted sigh and several shallow coughs.

"Let me get you some orange juice!" Marissa took his empty glass and went back into the kitchen.

"Do you want anything else?" Lindsay asked. "Let me get you some crackers- you never got your toast!" She turned to go into the kitchen, "Do you need anything else? Want to try the wash cloth again?" She was so busy talking to Ryan that she didn't see Marissa, and bumped into her.

Ryan groaned as the orange juice splashed down onto the floor. He got up from the couch, with the paper towels and walked over to them and began to mop up the floor while the two girls stood there for a moment stunned. They recovered and both moved to help Ryan clean up, only to knock their heads against each others. They stumbled backwards, wincing and rubbing their foreheads.

Ryan stood up, "Okay, you know whad? Before we hab two more patients... Why don'd you both go home?"

"Really?" They both looked at him disappointed.

"Yeah... I dink I'b just gonna geb sub sleep..." He faked a large yawn, that ended with him coughing. Both girls rushed in to pat him on the back, but he moved away from the both.

"Night girls..." He waved and walked away. With a sigh, both girls made for the front door. Ryan flopped with an exhausted sigh onto the couch. "Are they gone?"

Seth looked up, "Yup, wow man, what a waste of a golden opportunity... You just gotta teach them to work together- as a team!"

"Shud up Seth..." Ryan groaned. He looked around, and then got up and started to clean up. Their was toast, piles of papers towels, empty glasses and blankets everywhere. The kitchen was even worse. The stove was a mess, there were dirty dishes, and spilled baking supplies from Marissa's experiment with toast.

With a sigh Ryan called over to Seth, "Any helb in here?"

"No way man," He sneezed, "I'm sick, if I stress my body I could risk worsening the infection."

Ryan cleaned the entire kitchen himself.

He had just finished, and flopped with an exhausted sigh onto the couch when Kirsten and Sandy walked into the house. "Seth? Ryan?" Sandy called out.

"In here," Seth called out, trying to sound as weak and pathetic as possible. "We're under quarantine." He sneezed, "Ryan got sick and gave his cold to me."


	4. Chapter 4

The two slightly- confused and a bit bemused Cohen adults looked back and forth between Ryan and Seth.

"M'fine," Ryan muttered, sitting up. He coughed a little and sniffed, "Jus' a cold."

"I'm ACHOO dying!" Seth moaned, swooning dramatically in his chair.

"You're not dying..." Sandy muttered, but he obliged his son by placing a hand on his forehead to check for a fever.

"Are you sure?" Kirsten looked at Ryan warily, he didn't look very healthy. His skin was pale and he looked exhausted. She moved toward him to feel his forehead, but Ryan decided he'd had enough "care taking" for one day, and moved his head away from her hand and got to his feet.

"Yeah, I just need sub sleep. Night." He waved good bye to the Cohen's and stumbled out towards the pool house.

"Well, Seth, you do feel a little warm..." Sandy had completed his assessment of his son, and turned to Kirsten who was still looking out towards the pool house, but Sandy's comment brought her attention back to her own son.

"I'll go get the thermometer." Kirsten said, and disappeared into the kitchen.

Seth coughed weakly, "Ugh, guess no school tomorrow, huh?"

Sandy sighed, "Let's just take your temperature first, okay?"

********************************************

Ryan knew he was never going to get any sleep. His body ached, his head hurt, and he was coughing far too constantly to actually be able to settle comfortably into one position, and every time he moved he felt the pounding throb of an angry headache. The cold medicine was in the house. The nice cold medicine with the sleepy-time ingredients that would make everything be okay... Was in the house. Guarded by Kirsten and Sandy who were clearly on high alert, and Ryan was not in the mood for being fussed over. There had been quite enough of that already today.

He coughed again and moaned slightly in pain and discomfort. Alright, maybe Sandy and Kirsten would be preoccupied with Seth. He could just sneak in there, on the pretext of getting a Gatorade or a bottle of water, take the cold medicine and get back out here before the even noticed him. He glanced at the clock. It was almost 11pm. He sighed, which unfortunately made him cough, and he heard the first signs of phlegm in his chest. Great. It was now or never if he was going to be able to take the medicine and then be able to get up tomorrow for school. He was sure Kirsten would let him stay home, but he didn't want to. For one thing, he could tell Seth was already gunning for that privilege and for another, he had missed half a day of school yesterday, he couldn't afford to miss another today.

Crap! That reminded him- he hadn't done his physics homework. He sat up, waited for the room to stop spinning, and then looked around for his backpack. It wasn't in here. Then he remembered, after he had staggered into the house after school today- was that really today? He had dropped it off in the foyer and then stumbled out here and gone to bed. His backpack, with his homework, was in the house. Well, now he had to go back out there.

With a grinding attempt to clear his throat, he got up from his bed and went back to the main house.

Seth was still in the chair, and Kirsten and Sandy were both trying to take care of him. Somehow they made a much more coordinated team than Marissa and Lindsay.

"Sorry we didn't believe you," Kirsten was telling him, gently brushing his dark black curls away from his face.

"Yeah kid, hang in there." Sandy was squeezing his wrist. "You should get some sleep, it's late."

"Yeah," Seth got up from the couch like a cripple and Sandy helped him up. Ryan, pulled himself away from the tableau and went to the kitchen where he swiped a bottle of cold medicine and then grabbed his backpack from the foyer.

"Ryan!" Kirsten started when she almost bumped into him as she came back into the kitchen from the living room. "Sorry- you startled me. I thought you were in bed!"

"Sorry, jus' neebed to grab dis'." He raised a shoulder to indicate his backpack, his voice was hoarse and scratchy.

"You sound terrible!" Kirsten said, "Let me make you some tea. Come on, sit." She started to push him towards a kitchen chair.

"Whab about Seth?" Ryan croaked.

"He's being taken care of." Kirsten reassured him, "His fever's pretty low. He just needs some rest and he'll probably be fine in the morning." She pushed him down into a chair, and Ryan was forced to sit. She didn't say anything to Ryan, but she was slightly startled at the amount of heat his skin seemed to putting off through his shirt.

"I probably should get sub sleeb too..." Ryan said, starting to stand up. Unfortunately, at that moment, the room decided to start spinning and Ryan hastily sat back down. "But I guess some tea wouldn't hurt..." He covered for himself, hoping Kirsten hadn't noticed the way his knees had been shaking.

"Mom! I need some tea for my throat!" Seth said, coming back into the kitchen. He forced another weak cough.

"Of course, I just put the pot on." Kirsten smiled as Seth sat down at the table next to Ryan.

"Dude, thought you went to bed." Seth said, his tone was slightly unfriendly. Clearly he wasn't thrilled about Ryan taking up his parent-sick-time attention.

"Couldb't sleeb." He rasped out to Seth. His voice was hadly above a whisper by the time he got to "sleep."

"Why are you whispering?" Seth whispered loudly back to him.

"I'b not!" Ryan said. The word "not" didn't seem to make it past his lungs.

"Dude, I can't lip read!" Seth siad. At a literal loss for words, Ryan glared at him.

"Seth, stop tormenting Ryan." Kirsten said. "He's- Tired." She glanced at Ryan. She knew Ryan was sick, but for whatever reason he wasn't ready to admit it yet, and she wasn't going to force the issue unless she needed to.

"What's everyone doing down here?" Sandy appeared. He had changed out of his suit.

"I''m making some tea for the boys," Kirsten told him.

"Oh, okay, why don't you go get changed, I think I can handle boiling some water."

"Okay, thanks." Kirsten gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "If it boils before I get back, make sure you put lots of _honey_ in their tea." She emphasized, and glanced over at Ryan, who had given up the glare and was now staring blankly and glossy- eyed into space.

"Ah yes tea- the ultimate cure all. No matter what ails you!" Sandy boomed, as he looked back and forth between Seth and Ryan. Ryan slowly turned his head and looked at him, and then looked away. As if moving hurt, he rubbed his neck with his hand.

"Dad- what are you talking about?" Seth asked.

"Tea- it's great. Good for colds, fevers, bad days. My mother used to always make us tea whenever we were sick." Sandy explained. "It's an ancient Cohen remedy."

"Dad- do you really think people wandering the desert drank boiling hot water? Or is our family British and you've been secretly lieing to me all these years?"

Sandy rolled his eyes, "Alright, you got me. What brought you back into the house Ryan?" Ryan just shrugged and studied the floor.

"Dad, can you take my temperature again? I think it may have just spiked!" Seth said, dramatically feeling his forehead.

"We'll take it again before you got to bed," Sandy sighed. He looked at Seth's pleading eyes, "And you can relax, you're not supposed to go to school until your temperatures been normal for 24 hours."

"Really?" Seth looked delighted. He's reading of 100.1 was _more _that enough to keep him home from school tomorrow.

Kirsten reappeared in the kitchen, and noticed Seth grinning broadly. She groaned, "You told him didn't you?"

"What?" Sandy pretended to be innocent.

Kirsten sighed, "I already sent an email to my dad, told him I wouldn't be coming in tomorrow because Seth was sick."

"Looks like someone else is playing hooky!" Sandy teased. "Maybe I'll stay home too, we can have a Cohen family sick day." He looked at Ryan, who's forehead had broken out in a sweat, despite the cool house, "Guess it'll just be you missing out."

"Guess so." Ryan muttered quietly, he tried to clear his throat, but ended up just coughing. He quickly covered his mouth and glanced around. Everyone pretended not to notice. The kettle began to sing and Kirsten set about making cups of tea for everyone.

Ryan tried to drink his tea, but now he had started coughing again, and to make matters worse, now he was shivering with sudden cold. He put his hands around his warm mug and clenched his teeth in an attempt to stop the tremors that coursed over his body. He glanced up, and noticed all three Cohens staring at him. "What?" He asked, as he coughed wetly, and shivered again. Sandy and Kirsten exchanged a look.

"Maybe we should get you into bed..." Kirsten suggested gently.

"I'b fine." Ryan said stubbornly though his voice threatened to give way at any moment.

"Okay..." Kirsten said, sounding unconvinced as she watched him struggle to not shiver. His t-shirt was soaked with sweat. His face was pale except for two spots of fever- color high on his cheeks. He coughed again into a napkin, and looked at whatever his lungs had just produced with disgust. She sighed, Ryan was always difficult when sick, but usually not this difficult!

"I'b... bed." Ryan pushed himself to his feet. His legs were shaking, and he had to lean against the table. Watching him make his way out towards the pool house was just too painful.

Sandy couldn't take it anymore, he jumped to his feet and rushed to Ryan's side, "Easy kid, I got you."

"Don'd need..." Ryan said, but his resistance was futile he realized. He either needed Sandy's help, or he was going to be sleeping on the couch. Which... He noticed they had indeed changed direction and Sandy was leading him towards an armchair in the living room. Without protest, Ryan sat down on the chair and allowed Sandy to tuck a throw blanket around him. His head lolled to one side.

"Sorry, not yet." Kirsten said gently, and Ryan noticed too late that she was brandishing a thermometer. The battle had been lost.


	5. Chapter 5

Kirsten sat on the arm of the chair and wiped Ryan's sweat- soaked bangs off his hot forehead as he looked up at her with pitiful blue eyes. The temperature on the thermometer was contuing to climb at an alarming rate. Finally after an agonizing thirty seconds the thermometer beeped.

"103.8- Oh Ryan..."

"Not that-" Several agonizing coughs ripped through him, "Bad." He finished weakly, as he slumped against the chair. Kirsten and Sandy looked at him like they weren't sure how much worse it could possibly get. "I jus' need sub sleep." He told them in a tired, hoarse voice.

"Hold on," Kirsten said, rubbing his arm, "Let me get you something." She reappeared with several pills and a glass of water. Ryan took everything without question and then Sandy helped him to his feet and out to the pool house.

Kirsten was left alone with Seth who looked slightly pale, "I had no idea..." He said quietly.

"What's that?" Kirsten asked.

I had no- ACHOO- idea how bad he was feeling." Seth said, and he hung his head in shame. Kirsten wasn't sure what was going on, but she was worried. Ryan was really sick, and if Seth was going to come down with this bug Ryan had, she was going to have her hands full.

"It's okay," She walked over to him and patted his arm reassuringly.

"No it- ACHOO- isn't. I should have- HACHOO ACHOO- been a better ACHOO brother." He finally managed to say.

"Bless you. Let's get you into bed," Kirsten suggested. "You can be a better brother in the morning."

Seth nodded. Then sneezed again. Feeling more sympathy for Ryan with every sneeze. His head and shoulders ached, and his fever was still fairly low. He could only imagine how Ryan was feeling right now... Why hadn't he helped Ryan clean up? Sure he had been feeling a little achey and tired- so he had just let Ryan take care of the mess. And now Ryan was really sick.

****************

"Need anything else?" Sandy asked, as he hovered in the doorway unwilling to walk away from the sick kid, even though he was pretty sure there was nothing more he could do. The cold medicine and a glass of water had been placed next to the bed. Ryan had put on a fresh t-shirt. The coughing had subsided slightly, but it was still obvious how much it hurt Ryan to talk.

Sandy wished there was something he could to make the poor sick teen feel better, but for the moment, he knew there was nothing.

"I'b fine." Ryan reassured him tiredly. As sick as he was, Sandy knew he felt bad if anyone had to worry about him. He brushed his hand once more against Ryan's hot forehead.

"Alright kid, get some sleep." Ryan's eyes were already sliding shut.

* * *

Yes it's over- but fear not! There will be a sequel- entitled Ryan's good day. I dunno tho... Maybe I should make you work for it... Like someone else hurting and comforting Ryan- hmmm?


End file.
